TIARA

I froze, speechless, and took a step back so he could finally pass the threshold.?

"What do you mean?"?

He shook his head, incapable of speaking, and took several deep breaths.?

"There's no more money," he finally spoke. "It's all... gone."?

All gone. My mouth went dry. My father was richer than the fucking Rockefeller himself, and now he was telling me he was broke? What made him think I believed him? Suddenly, I burst out laughing frantically and threw myself on the couch. My father followed me with a puzzled look on his face at my reaction. "Tiara, I'm not joking. I sold everything out. Everything. I'm in debt up to my ears."

The shock numbed me.?

"You... is it the company or you?"

"Both..."

"You overdid it? How was that even possible? The corporation should have had enough assets to fund any endeavor, no matter how foolish. Isn't it?"?

"On paper it should be so, in reality it is not so at all"?

"What the hell did you do? How did you jeopardize all that money? What happened to the houses, the cars?" I could barely suppress the nerves I had for this man who called himself my father.?

"Everything is gone, Tiara..."?

The harder I tried to comprehend, the more I got immersed into explanations I didn't understand. I was never interested in his money, but I was glad he was doing well. That way, my mother didn't go through any hardships. Now he had lost everything and my mother was so sick that her days were numbered. And he didn't even have money to buy her a damn prescription.?

I sat there in silence on the couch with my face buried in my palms.?

"What the hell did you do?" I finally asked, trying to at least figure out where this madness started.

"I was already having some problems with the business and thought of setting up another shadow company to take this one over, to shield it, but I failed,"

?Again, I got swept up in that uncontrollable laughter, only this time a little more nervous.?

"Are you on drugs?" I snapped at him. "What on earth possessed you to do these things? God..."?

I couldn't stand being in the same room with him. This man was not the one I knew. Calculated type of man who wouldn't jump into a deal without researching everything ten times beforehand if he had to. He'd thrown himself headfirst into it and now he sat broke on my couch asking for help.?

If it wasn't for my mother, I'd have sent him back the way he came.?

"Can you help me or not?" His recklessness was disturbing.?

"What can I do?How much money are we talking about here?"?

The number he said was so huge that even if I filled ten trains with money, I wouldn't even get close to a quarter of what he had to reimburse to save the company. "Is this for real?" I asked, dumbfounded, still praying that this would be a stupid joke. "What the hell is wrong with you? He dropped his head, and I realized he would not talk about it anymore. "Ok, can't you and your skilled men declare bankruptcy? It is the only way..." I touched something there with my comment. He raised his eyes and looked at me in a way he hadn't in years. I realized I had missed that gaze.?

"Because this company is my life, Tiara." I winced at the sound of my name, so pleading. "I can still fix it; I know I can. But I just need enough cash to do it. And I could do some business and get it, but..." He drifted off a little. "Your mom was supposed to start chemo last week as soon as we found out. Time is precious. But I can't afford it. It's due time for all my bills, and I dropped my insurance a few months ago to get some more cash out..."

"Time is precious after treating your money as the most precious treat from heaven? This is why you are punished by the money you have." I would fight for myself when I was begging for a little family bonding time. I knew it wasn't the time for scolding, but I couldn't help myself.?

"You are so wrong here, Tiara"?

"Am I? Then prove me wrong! More than that, bring my mother here and I promise to disappear from your life. You can do what you want with your money and your business. Just bring mom and I'll take care of the rest."?

Even though I was blunt in my speech, there was no other solution. I was not about to leave her in the hands of an uncaring man for whom what mattered was how to get his empire out of the hole it had fallen into.?

"No, Tiara, you misunderstood everything," my father said, getting up off the couch. He started pacing the living room like he was in his house. A bit of his self-confidence returned, but under the circumstances, it infuriated me to the core.?

"Did I? Oh please, be serious! You don't even have money to support yourself. I don't want my mother to suffer."?

?"She won't. She will have the best care in the best London Oncology Hospital. I can promise you that. All I need is your help, that's it!" he insisted again with this help thing, and it was really getting on my nerves. I was questioning his ability to save the company. He had no way of doing it.

He insisted"I have a plan. One that will work. I am sure of that. I have a sponsor, one that believes in my vision. But I need his help and his money"?

Now dad was talking nonsense. Who am I trying to fool? I didn't have the money to buy a loaf of bread, let alone pay for my mother's treatment. But that's not what mattered. What matters is a matter of life and death.

"Who exactly are you talking about?" I asked curiously.

"Vincent Baker."?

His name sent shivers of panic throughout my body.

"You can't be serious..." I said half-heartedly.

"I'm dead serious. But there is a catch"?

"A catch? Why am I not surprised? What is it? What does he want?"

"You have to marry him!"?

Vincent

"This is Vincent Baker. Put me through to Ryan," I ordered to the female voice on the other side of the line.?

My mind wandered to the bike-riding girl from this morning as I awaited Ryan's response. Her presence drew me in and piqued my curiosity at the same time.

I took a chance and got her paintings, though. They were here under my eyes. As a reminder of her clumsiness. I found myself grinning slightly in the corner of my mouth.?

"Vince, my man! What the hell are you doing these days?" Ryan greeted me, sensing his mocking smile on his face. "Forgot about me and the foundation?"?

"Cut the crap! We need to talk. I did it!" I told him shortly and then hung up the phone. He would not resist and would come here. This business was profitable for him, too.?

I knew Steven Glare from my teenage years and I knew what a loser he always was. My father was always pleading with him and watching everything he did. The bastard refused to give him the money, despite his dire need. Every single one of Steven's workers, including my father, received terrible treatment. That left my life with a far too terrible mark. Despite my father's passing, I was still here. He'd be proud of me, I was sure.

It didn't take ten minutes, and the phone rang again.

"Mr. Baker, Mr. Lee is here to see you," my secretary said in a formal tone.

"Let him in!" I ordered.

Ryan stormed in just as a tempest on a summer day.?

"I am here. Give me the good news!"?

I took a brief break and laughed as I watched him. I then requested two coffees from the secretary. "Wow, what a good woman you have here, man, and you, nothing, "he remarked as his eager eyes followed my assistant.

"Knock it off! That's not why I called you here. Steven Glare fell into my trap"

There was a brief period of abrupt silence. Ryan hardly comprehended what I was saying as he stared at me in confusion.

"Are you serious?"?

"Of course, I am. When have I ever joked about this? You know, I've been hunting him for a long time." So great was the satisfaction that I throbbed with delight.?

"What did you do to him?" Ryan asked curiously, already leaning back in his chair.?

"I gave him a bad idea, and he took it for granted. You know I've been wanting to get my hands on those spas of his for a long time. He trusted me blindly and fell for it like a na?ve, stupid child. Now I've got his company and... his daughter, Tiara." I related with great joy I had finally finished what my father had started.?

"Why his daughter? I don't follow," Ryan asked me, narrowing his eyes.

"Because I wanted to. And because I could. You know my father's past and how Steven refused him the money that would have saved her. Now the tables have turned and Steven has lost not only his money but also what was most precious to him, his daughter."

"I admire you, man. But what are you going to do with a wife? A woman you don't even know." Ryan pushed further.?

"I only saw her once, about ten years ago. That's when she was about twelve. She stirred nothing up. Anyway, don't think that if I have a wife, I will be faithful to her and to our marriage. It will be just for business," I continued, laughing to myself, proud of how far I had come. "This is just a very well thought out and put together plan. Nothing more"

"If you say so. I presume you will meet her soon, right?"

"I left that part in the hands of that useless Steven. I hope he doesn't screw it up."

I focused on the backyard of the consortium while thinking about Steven Glare and his millions. With stupid Steven's assistance, this commercial district's already rapid growth was about to speed up.

My imagination suddenly flashed back to the face of a little girl with freckles. Eyes as big as deep wells but sparkling like polished diamonds, a broad, innocent smile. Tiara Glare's visage.

In order to inherit the wealth from my mother's long-lost aunt, I needed her as my wife. Even though I was unaware of her existence, I needed the money to carry out more study at the foundation. Getting married was the only way I could get possession of it. Piece of cake! The will didn't specify how long I had to be wed or that I had to be in love with my intended life partner.

"So, how did you make this business profitable for you and wasteful for Glare?" Ryan's voice interrupted my train of so vivid thoughts.

"He was already in big trouble with the company and I offered to help him," I said, turning to face Ryan. "He doesn't know I'm Baker's son, the same Baker that he mocked all his life while working under him. I took the opportunity and when I saw he was sinking, I came up with the idea of setting up a shell company to get him out of the shit. Only when the time came, the company set up at my suggestion didn't produce any money to help him, so Belle Beauty Spa went into total bankruptcy. He didn't even get the chance to declare it before the IRS agents came after him for setting up a fraud. The stock dropped to a few cents per share, and I took advantage and bought it all," I finished in triumph and with a mad smile in the corner of my mouth.?

"Oh wow! Does Glare know who the buyer is?" Ryan asked.

"Of course, he doesn't. What are you, nuts? All he knows is that I was the right man at his wrong time. He asked for my help and I was there to help him"?

"So, what is the deal with his daughter? I presume you will not stay married for the rest of your life"?

"Tiara Glare is another story. She is just my personal vendetta. I'll satisfy my cravings with her, but I won't be able to leave her soon, to her despair. Her father needed money and sacrificed his daughter. I need a wife, but I'll tell you the reason some other time."?

"Okay, you know what you're doing! I, on the other hand, have an important meeting that I don't have to miss for the world. It will be good for your foundation. But let me admit that you pleasantly surprised me with what you said. I expected nothing less from you," Ryan concluded, and after shaking my hand, he walked out of the office.?

I remained by myself with my thoughts. And the kinds of visions I had! I had so many things swirling around in my head for the upcoming time period that I did not know where to start.

I might start interacting with my future bride. Unlike most men, I wasn't the least bit excited about getting married.

It was just a business deal. No woman was going to force her way into my heart, with or without my permission, because love was a feeling so foreign to me. I was certain that Tiara Glare wasn't overjoyed about marrying a man she couldn't even remember. In reality, she didn't think she knew me, in her opinion.

She was part of a different agenda, one that involved me. As far as I was concerned, she was no more than a pawn on the chessboard.

I still had the image of my father in my head. That face shattered by burdens. His pleading eyes filled with fear that he had nothing to feed us in the days when things went from bad to worse.

Because we lacked the funds to continue my mother's treatment, I could only see her consumed by cancer.

All of this kept me afloat, and I made a commitment to hold Steven Glare accountable. And the person who would suffer the most would be the woman in his life. I would crush him in the same manner, and I would force his daughter to marry me against her will. One eye for the other!

TIARA

I burst out in hysterical fits of laughter.

"Oh, my God. Oh, Lord. You always were such a zero-humor jerk. I thought you were dead serious for a minute!" It still wasn't very funny listening to him and watching him with no grimace on his face.?

"It's not a joke, Tiara. I wish it was, but it's not," he said in all seriousness, and I stopped laughing.?

"Who is this, Vincent Baker? I mean, I know who he is. All fucking universe does, but what's your business with him?" I asked in astonishment as my father pulled a document out of the briefcase, he had brought with him. He was one hell of a... "Is that?"?

"This is the contract you have to sign," my father replied nonchalantly and calmly considering the situation he was in and the situation he was putting me, his daughter, in.?

"The contract? Who said there was going to be a contract?" I suddenly snapped, placing my hands on my waist in protest.

"He did! You will stay married to him for as long as your mother's treatment lasts, and after you divorce, you will not be entitled to a cent of his estate. This is his request"

"I don't give a damn about his request. If he thinks I am after his money, I got news for him. I won't marry him. I am not a gold digger," I snapped in a rage so hard to control.?

"Tiara, this isn't about his money or the fact that you would marry for money. It's about your mother who, if you don't do it..."

"Shut up! Don't bring my mother into this. Don't manipulate me any way you want. Not now, at twenty-two. I'm not a child anymore!"?

Dad took a long sigh then put the contract on the table with his all too known pen. The same one with which he closed all his deals. Because that's what I was to him now. A business deal. He wasn't interested in my mother in the slightest. All he cared about was saving his stupid money.

"So, I'm going to marry none other than Vincent Baker, huh?" It was too preposterous to be genuine.

I looked with no particular interest at the contract in front of me and there was definitely his name, written black on white, Vincent Baker, along with his perfect signature. A man I had only read about in tabloids and heard about on TV and in posts on social media. The merciless, overpowering and tediously alluring owner of the Business Forum Empire, one of London's greatest existing corporations. He rose his corporation from nothing in ten years to the top, leaving his competitors and colleagues alike way behind. For him, business was everything and nobody and nothing stood in his way. He would eliminate anyone who dared to do it with little pomp and consideration.

Or that's what I kept hearing about him because people were talking about his achievements. Especially women.?

Suddenly, an inexplicable rage mixed with jealousy came over me. Why did a man like Vincent Baker want to marry a woman as anonymous as me? I mean, he wasn't the kind of man who lacked women and money. Something didn't add up here.?

"Essentially, yes," my father commented, still glaring at the contract waiting for me, so stop asking so many questions and sign the damn paper.?

"I wonder what his reasons are?" I voiced my thoughts from earlier, wanting to see my father's reaction. Or if he would at least have one.?

"Would you like a lawyer's advice before you sign? Looks like a prenup."

"Of course, it is. It couldn't be otherwise. If the man's afraid I'll take his inheritance, why bother marrying me?" I asked doubtfully.

"He told me he has his reasons and that he doesn't intend to discuss them with you or me. But you can read everything before you sign if you don't trust him."?

"Oh, that is an understatement. Now why would I not trust a guy who buys himself a wife?" I asked teasingly, running my eyes over the letters that formed his name.?

"You could sign and hang in there for as long as it takes or you cannot sign at all and let your mother die. It is your choice, Tiara"?

The way he said it seemed to give me no choice. If I'd thought it through, I really didn't have any other option.?

"So, he's dragging you out of a smoldering fire and all he wants to do is blindly marry a woman he's never met in his life?" I asked rhetorically, because I might never get a straight answer to it. And asking it so out loud somehow made it sound worse than it already was.

A glimpse of a smile broke across his face. "Well, ninety percent of the profits would go..." I held my hand up in front of my face.?

"Stop explaining. I don't care what he does with the profits as long as he is paying for mother's treatment" This thing was going to blow up in his face. I would see to it that this would actually happen. If he thought I'd be submissive, he couldn't have been more wrong.?

And I really needed a good, competent lawyer before I signed. And that was if I could find one who didn't know him or play golf with him in his spare time.?

Perhaps an unscrupulous one who would know how to sell me as a product to an unknown man.

With that thought in mind, I exhaled heavily. This contract seemed like an enormous weight on my shoulders. It was as if it had a conscience of its own, one so loaded that it would derail my life forever.?

"That means you will sign?" my father asked impatiently to put the final stamp on my existence.

"Does mother know?" I answered with another question, far more important for me than whether I will sign or not. But for the look in his eyes, I immediately understood. "She doesn't... I knew it!"?

How stupid I was.?

But then father continued as if my question and concern didn't even exist.?

"He wants to see you first, so he said that when you feel prepared to stop by his office to have a cup of coffee. He would always be available for you"?

The nerve this Vincent guy had. When I felt prepared. Who did he take me for? How helpless did he think I looked??

"Oh really? I marvel that such a busy man makes time for me" I kept mocking this man's ways.?

"Actually, what he wants to know is if you're... suitable wife material."?

I tried to swallow and assimilate what my father had just said.?

"What exactly does that mean? If he thinks he has a choice, then he should choose someone else, not me."?

"The places where he wanders are of particular importance and he needs someone to represent him, if you know what I mean," father tried to explain but this Vincent's standards only pissed me off more.

"That's just too much! I am me and no one, not even Vincent Baker, can change me to his liking."

But because my father said nothing, I took the contract and shoved it in my purse. "I'm going to have a talk with this man full of himself," I said, enraged by his demands. "And I'll tell him what I think of his damn contract, while I'm at it"